I saw Teenage Fanclub at a festival in the summer and thought they were great. My flatmate says they've nicked their sound from Big Star. I like a few of Big Star's tracks I've found online but none of their albums are on Spotify. What would be the best album to buy? Douglas

There is some debate as to which is the best Big Star album but rest assured, both their debut, #1 Record, and its follow-up, Radio City, are unlikely to disappoint. The first, released in 1972, is notable for Thirteen and Ballad of El Goodo; the second boasts September Gurls, the great powerpop track, and Back of a Car. Sadly, both LPs were flops. The good news, though, is that they've been repackaged as one set, leaving you to find Chris Bell's I am the Cosmos, the only album by the group's original guitarist who died in a car accident in 1978. For a taster, obtain the Flaming Lips' Late Night Tales, the highlight of which is Bell's heartbreaking Speed of Sound.

I was a total indie kid until I heard Justice and the Ed Banger label's ballsy electro. Most of the stuff I listen to now has a dance element but I'm growing a bit weary of how noisy the new wave of artists are. Can you point me in the direction of something more sophisticated? Also, while you're at it, I'd like to start investigating some of the originators of dance music. Where's the best place to start? Chicago house? Disco?RichardJ

If you're going to start with disco, and you should, you can't go too far wrong with any Salsoul or Prelude compilation, all of which should be easy to acquire. Some of the old school house sets are harder to obtain, though Trax Records' The House That Trax Built and 4th and Broadway's Garage Classique are fascinating snapshots of a nascent movement. For a more urbane alternative to contemporary acts, try deep house survivors Moodymann and Blaze, or more recently Metro Area, who simultaneously recall the Aphex Twin and Chic.